The crossing conundrum

Westport Fianna Fáil councillor Brendan Mulroy has called for the removal of courtesy crossings in the town.

The councillor said that the crossings are causing damage to cars and are often a danger to pedestrians using them.

Speaking at the February meeting of the West Mayo Municipal District which was held on Monday last, Cllr Mulroy said that even though the council have just carried out repair work on a number of them in the town he feels they should be removed as they cause damage to cars and the only people who would like them to remain is the garage industry.

Fine Gael Cllr Therese McGuire requested clarification on the legal standing of the courtesy crossings and was informed by council officials that they had no legal effect to stop traffic to allow pedestrians to cross the road. She told the meeting that people were very lucky not to get hit by traffic while using them.

Cllr Mulroy said that most people would agree with him to take them out and just put in a zebra crossing. Independent Cllr Christy Hyland added that he was cautious about any removal of the crossings, which he feared could lead to the introduction of flashing light crossings - which he did not want to see in the heart of the town.